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Tanzania encourages Chinese to invest in tourism sector

By Pascal Shelutete in Beijing

Tanzania delegation and Chaoyang District Commission of Tourism in Beijing pose in a group picture after their official talks

Tanzania has encouraged Chinese investors to invest in the country, as there are many opportunities in the tourism industry, which have not been well explored. This was said by the Director of Tourism in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Mr. Ibrahim Mussa to the officials from Chaoyang District Commission of Tourism in Beijing.

Mr. Mussa who leads a Tanzanian delegation on a special mission to promote destination Tanzania in China, said Tanzania is looking forward to have positive cooperation with the Chinese investors in the areas of accommodation facilities to cater for the number of tourist arrivals in the country. He also mentioned that Chinese expertise is highly encouraged in the areas of training the tourism personnel to meet the demands of the tourists visiting the country.

During the meeting, Director General of Tanzania National Parks Mr. Allan Kijazi informed the CBD officials that TANAPA has already prepared an Investment Prospectus, which provides areas and opportunities of investments in the parks. He further said that currently there are 25 sites in the parks which including four in Serengeti National Park; three in Tarangire National Park; six in Katavi National Park and four in Saadani National Park have been allocated for private sectors and encouraged the Chinese investors to grasp that opportunity.

He said currently TANAPA has about 30 investors in the parks but mainly from United States and other European countries and that none of them is from China. Kijazi mentioned that China is a fast growing economy country and that is seen as a potential source market for Tanzanian tourism. He urged the officials from Chaoyang district to help market the destination Tanzania through adequate publicity in the Chaoyang media houses.

On his side, the Managing Director of Tanzania Tourist Board Dr. Aloyce Nzuki encouraged the Chinese state owned tour operators to open up their branches in the country as a means to increase the number of tourists in the country. He mentioned the areas of cruise boating in Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria as well as railway tourism in the Saadani- Mkomazi circuit as good potential areas of investment which is open to Chinese investors. He also urged the Chaoyang tourism officials to place the presence of Tanzania tourist attractions in the population of Beijing.

The two parties agreed to work on the proposed areas of cooperation and prepare a Memorandum of Understanding which will be signed in the near future as a way to maintain the goodwill relationship existing between China and Tanzania since the old days of the former first presidents Julius Nyerere and Mao Zedong.

China has promised to promote destination Tanzania in China as way to increase the number of Chinese tourist arrivals in the country. This was said yesterday by the Vice Director of Chaoyang District Commission of Tourism Development of Beijing Municipality Mr. Zhang Aijun to a Team Tanzania who is visiting China on a mission to promote tourism in the country.

Mr. Aijuan reiterates that Chaoyang district is a potential area as it encompasses the 20 percent of all Beijing people who travels outside the country as tourists.

Tanzanian delegation in official talks with officials from Chaoyang District Commission of Tourism in Beijing